Astros owner getting involved in CSN negotiations

Astros owner Jim Crane has been directly involved in CSN Houston negotiations and believes an agreement will be reached before the Astros open their regular season March 31 against the Rangers at Minute Maid Park.

The Astros owner said his club is holding out for a fair deal. Matching the Texas Rangers’ revenue stream is also a factor in negotiations.

“We want the fans to watch the games. But they’ve also got to understand if we cut a bad deal now it could affect the team long term and we just can’t do that,” Crane said. “So, we’ll get it done. The way these things usually progress, they usually go right down to the wire when you look at the history of these launches — it’s right at the 19th hour.”

The Astros, however, do get their full $80 million rights fees from Comcast no matter how many providers carry the network. But as owners in a 45 percent stake in Comcast Houston, the team does benefit even more by a wider distribution at a higher cost.